The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily consists of a family of structurally-related proteins, including three different mammalian isoforms of TGF-β (TGF-β1, β2 and β3), activins, inhibins, müllerian-inhibiting substance and bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) (for reviews see Roberts and Sporn, (1990) Peptide Growth Factors and Their Receptors, Pt.1, Sporn and Roberts, eds. (Berlin: Springer-Verlag) pp 419-472; Moses et al (1990) Cell 63, 245-247). The proteins of the TGF-β superfamily have a wide variety of biological activities. TGF-β acts as a growth inhibitor for many cell types and appears to play a central role in the regulation of embryonic development, tissue regeneration, immuno-regulation, as well as in fibrosis and carcinogenesis (Roberts and Sporn (199) see above).
Activins and inhibins were originally identified as factors which regulate secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone secretion (Vale et al (1990) Peptide Growth Factors and Their Receptors, Pt.2, Sporn and Roberts, eds. (Berlin: Springer-Verlag) pp.211-248). Activins were also shown to induce the differentiation of haematopoietic progenitor cells (Murata et al (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 2434-2438; Eto et al (1987) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 142, 1095-1103) and induce mesoderm formation in Xenopus embryos (Smith et al (1990) Nature 345, 729-731; van den Eijnden-Van Raaij et al (1990) Nature 345, 732-734).
BMPs or osteogenic proteins which induce the formation of bone and cartilage when implanted subcutaneously (Wozney et al (1988) Science 242, 1528-1534), facilitate neuronal differentiation (Paralkar et al (1992) J. Cell Biol. 119, 1721-1728) and induce monocyte chemotaxis (Cunningham et al (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 11740-11744). Mullerian-inhibiting substance induces regression of the MUllerian duct in the male reproductive system (Cate et al (1986) Cell 45, 685-698), and a glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor enhances survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (Lin et al (1993) Science 260, 1130-1132). The action of these growth factors is mediated through binding to specific cell surface receptors.
Within this family, TGF-β receptors have been most thoroughly characterized. By covalently cross-linking radio-labelled TGF-β to cell surface molecules followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the affinity-labelled complexes, three distinct size classes of cell surface proteins (in most cases) have been identified, denoted receptor type I (53 kd), type II (75 kd), type III or betaglycan (a 300 kd proteoglycan with a 120 kd core protein) (for a review see Massague (1992) Cell 69 1067-1070) and more recently endoglin (a homodimer of two 95 kd subunits) (Cheifetz et al (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267 19027-19030). Current evidence suggests that type I and type II receptors are directly involved in receptor signal transduction (Seqarini et al (1989) Mol. Endo., 3, 261-272; Laiho et al (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 9100-9112) and may form a heteromeric complex; the type II receptor is needed for the binding of TGF-β to the type I receptor and the type I receptor is needed for the signal transduction induced by the type II receptor (Wrana et al (1992) Cell, 71, 1003-1004). The type III receptor and endoglin may have more indirect roles, possibly by facilitating the binding of ligand to type II receptors (Wang et al (1991) Cell, 67 797-805; López-Casillas et al (1993) Cell, 73 1435-1444).
Binding analyses with activin A and BMP4 have led to the identification of two co-existing cross-linked affinity complexes of 50-60 kDa and 70-80 kDa on responsive cells (Hino et al (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10309-10314; Mathews and Vale (1991), Cell 68, 775-785; Paralker et al (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 8913-8917). By analogy with TGF-β receptors they are thought to be signalling receptors and have been named type I and type II receptors.
Among the type II receptors for the TGF-β superfamily of proteins, the cDNA for the activin type II receptor (Act RII) was the first to be cloned (Mathews and Vale (1991) Cell 65, 973-982). The predicted structure of the receptor was shown to be a transmembrane protein with an intracellular serine/threonine kinase domain. The activin receptor is related to the C. elegans daf-1 gene product, but the ligand is currently unknown (Georgi et al (1990) Cell 61, 635-645). Thereafter, another form of the activin type II receptor (activin type IIB receptor), of which there are different splicing variants (Mathews et al (1992), Science 225, 1702-1705; Attisano et al (1992) Cell 68, 97-108), and the TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) (Lin et al (1992) Cell 68, 775-785) were cloned, both of which have putative serine/threonine kinase domains.